JORGE MARTIN SETTLES FOR FIFTH IN ARAGON BUT REMAINS CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER

Jorge Martin left the Aragón sprint with a fifth-place finish, a result that cost him points to his closest rivals but still kept him firmly on top of the MotoGP standings heading into Sunday’s Grand Prix. The Aprilia rider admitted that the weekend had been difficult, yet he framed the sprint outcome as better than expected.

“Fifth in the sprint race is a better result than I expected,” Martin said. He pointed to how the event had unfolded so far: on Saturday, his best performances came in the form of fifth place both on the grid and at the finish of the sprint. He also described the overall feel of the riding as problematic, explaining that his riding style combined with the tyres available at the Spanish circuit had not suited him.

Already after Friday’s qualifying, Martin had said he was struggling with the way his style interacted with the tyres. That issue continued into Saturday. “It feels like I’m just sliding around. Riding the bike here isn’t fun for me. But I have to deal with it,” he added. In his view, he had not yet managed to adapt fully to the track conditions.

Looking ahead to the full-distance Grand Prix, Martin suggested the longer race would reduce the disadvantage. He also acknowledged that overtaking at Aragón is tough, but he stressed it wasn’t only about the circuit. “Passing someone on this track is difficult. With our current bikes and the aerodynamic conditions they bring, there are opportunities, but if you’re only a little faster than the rider in front, you have to take big risks to gain a position,” he said.

Despite the concerns, Martin said he trusts his machine and doesn’t see the need for radical changes to feel confident. He compared the situation to the previous weekend at Silverstone, saying the bike is working well and that Aprilia had not altered its setup for Aragón. “I need to improve myself when tyre grip drops, but our bike works great. We haven’t changed anything compared to England and with the same settings we’re on the same level as our competitors,” he stated.

Speedweek added further context from Sunday’s race: starting from fifth, Martin initially looked set to make an impact, benefiting from a moment of confusion involving the Marquez brothers. Martin moved up to second after just half a kilometre behind teammate Bezzecchi, but by the first lap the dream of a top result was over as he couldn’t get the RS-GP performance onto the ground as effectively as he had hoped. He slipped back to fifth and stayed there for the next 115 kilometres to the flag.

After Aragón, Martin said he had already seen the limits of the weekend early. “It was also today very hard. At least I got the best out of my potential. Actually it went as expected, because already on Friday I had an idea of what our possibilities were—more than fifth was impossible for me here under any circumstances. If you look at it in terms of potential, this is one of our bad tracks, so two fifth places are very usable.” He also said he was looking forward to Misano and the Red Bull Ring, adding that “there we have the grip we need.”

He noted that while he was still behind the front, he was closer than in the sprint: “At least I was closer to the podium than in the sprint and I could make up something on Alex at the end.” In the race, Martin finished 12 seconds behind the winner, while he lost four tenths to Bezzecchi in his fastest lap.

Martin also addressed the championship pressure, with only 19 points separating him from Marc Marquez and 24 from Bezzecchi. “I will fight hard every day—and I still haven’t reached the limit with the bike,” he said.

Martin’s sprint result still mattered in the championship context: he led the standings by 29 points over his teammate Bezzecchi, with Marc Marquez—who won the sprint—following a further four points behind.